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Former diplomat Lord Peter Ricketts will tell the unknown story of the men and women of British diplomacy in WWII and how they played a vital part in ensuring victory. Showing remarkable courage, they evacuated civilians from occupied Europe, gathered vital intelligence and fought relentless battles of persuasion to keep neutral states like Franco's Spain out of the enemy camp, thereby avoiding the occupation of Gibraltar. The book profiles several remarkable women who worked successfully in dangerous conditions in the Arab world and Iran and thereby helped sweep away the barriers that kept women from senior roles. The Foreign Office also planned amid war to shape the future peace, drawing up the blueprints for the UN and NATO. The international order they built is now crumbing, and our leaders need to re-learn the capacity for strategic thinking and the resilience shown by that extraordinary generation.

Sponsored by: J. Safra Sarasin